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Thursday, August 22

LOVING GOD AND MY NEIGHBOR: A COMMITMENT

To be in a relationship with God is the
best thing that ever happened to me. Like a love struck teenager, falling
in love with the Lord hit me in an instant, but to stay walking in love with
Him is a completely different story.

In one of my ‘emo’ moments with God, I used to ask, "Lord, I want
to love you but I don’t know how."

Then there was silence, “Lord, are you still there?”

Then I realized it has been clearly written long before I even asked. It has
been spoon-fed to us all along!

The Lord says, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with
all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind.” (Lk 10:27)

With much passion, I would beam and say, “Oh Yes, Lord! I do and I
will!” But then the Lord is not finished yet… and, ‘Love your
neighbor as yourself.”

Err..uhm..ahh…Can I just love you, period?

All right, I know that I can’t change what is written to suit my fancy.
You didn’t say “or” but clearly said “and” hence, it’s a twin deal!

Growing in my spiritual life, I’ve learned that our love and relationship with
our neighbor is the reflection of our love for God. Yes, there are a
number of times when I get weary in loving and in doing good and end up
complaining and questioning. I have not gotten off completely my I-could-care-less tendencies.
Countless times, I succumb to the comfort of the live-and-let-live principle.

But when my heart gets numb and empty, I’ve learned to turn to the Lord
to ask for grace to understand more, to care a little more, to give
some more, and to love once more.

Moreover, I’ve also learned that we don’t need to wait for dramatic situations
to show love. It can be as simple as offering drinks to the delivery guy,
preparing a sandwich to the office tea boy, giving away an umbrella to someone
who needs it much more, having a spare Nol card in case someone runs out of
credit, a simple good morning to the guard on graveyard shift or just a simple
smile to brighten up one’s day.

These are small acts of kindness that can be done genuinely and deliberately to
show LOVE to our neighbor that in turn, will show GOD, Himself, to the people
around us.

I definitely have a long way to go to improve in this area of loving and I may
stumble and fall short for a number of times but as long as the Lord is with
me, I know I’ll get there somehow.

Expand my heart oh Lord that I may love you thru my neighbors. Forgive me,
if I shy away from doing good. And in the many times that I fail to reflect you
in my loving, give me the courage to obey your commands, perfect me in your
ways and be my God forever and ever, Amen.

BUILDING THE CHURCH OF THE POOR

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Couples for Christ Middle East
is a diverse migrant Christian community,
united and set ablaze by the Holy Spirit
and one with the Catholic Church.
We are a mission hub bridging cultures,
Strengthening family life,
Being living witnesses of Christ’s love and service;
transforming the desert into an oasis of hope
under the maternal care of the Blessed Mother.